It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, and in all honesty, it’s been by design! I needed to take a mini break to get settled in my newest role…

FULL TIME ENTREPRENEUR.

Yes…as of April 1, 2013 (April Fool’s Day lol) I quit my job in “corporate America”. It came out of nowhere. Nope…I didn’t give two weeks notice; nope, I have not a single regret. I politely told my mgmt person this simple phrase: “I think I am going to have to make my last day here TODAY”. Imagine the look of shock on his face when I said that! I was confident in my decision, had already taken a peak at my financial situation, and decided that I had to act NOW. And I did!

I’ve been happy ever since.

Thing is, in order for me to truly get the weight off of my shoulder, I had to open the door of LEAVING that job. I was MISERABLE (I’m sure some of you have viewed past posts which made reference to my disdain for that place…), and I could not “find joy” in having to be there for seven hours and forty five minutes of my life, day in and day out, anymore. I thought about how much money I had been making there, and let out a sigh…the money was great, but not enough to keep me from being unhappy. I just know that I could no longer take the misery!

I left…and not 10 minutes after I was gone, I received two referrals to manage social media for their brands. For a while I had been working full time on BOTH–the corporate job and my career–and I was completely worn out. One had to go…and it was NOT going to be my PR Firm…

In order for me to receive the vision TOTALLY, I had to open that door of “the money is good at this job though”, walk ALL THE WAY out of it, and activate my faith. My spirit is free now. I may not be making the same amount of money that I was bringing home from the corporate job, but my clientele is picking up tremendously, and I have yet to be worried about making ends meet. I refuse to worry about what God has already done!

I challenge you to Open That Door. The door to working out, establishing your place in society, being open to love, mending a friendship, saving more money…whatever the “door” is for you, go ahead and open it. A huge part of your life’s work is to strengthen what already exists inside of you.

Be free to be who you are; my testimony is simply that I chose to Open That Door. Here’s a look at my door: http://www.prbyelle77.com

Today is Saturday! Which means that #BizTipsbyELLE will be posted throughout the day at the PRbyELLE77 FB Site! Make sure that you “like” the page!

Also, PRbyELLE77 will turn one on March 1st! We will host an anniversary photo challenge via Instagram, and we are also celebrating a phenomenal man in the month of March! Information regarding the competition will ONLY be posted via the PRbyELLE77 FB Site!

I certainly appreciate your endless support of the blogs and my business!!

Sherry is the Author of a brand new book: “Feel Good Spaces: A Guide To Decorating Your Home For Body, Mind, & Spirit”! From February 1st – February 12th Sherry will visit 12 blogs on her virtual book tour. Lauran Smith Dot Com is hosting the very first day of this awesome tour! You are invited to follow the tour, visit a new blog each day, meet some wonderful new friends and experience something new! Feb2nd will be captured here! Make sure you’re on the tour!

Make your way back to us on Feb1st for more in what Sherry provides regarding decorating YOUR home!

One of my most favorite moments is when I decided to start my own business!

I was hesitant to do so in such a trying economic time…but one day, while on a brief medical leave from my job, I formulated my plan! I also recall being selected for jury duty, and thinking to myself “there is a chance that I will NOT get called; let me take my notebook and write out some ideas”…and that’s exactly what I did! I did not get called that day for duty, so I spent a FULL 6 or so hours writing out my vision for my company.

Well, I’m coming up on a ONE YEAR of being an entrepreneur, and it feels great! I woke up this morning to an email from someone soliciting me for their brands, plus emails from clients updating me on things that they need…that instantly made me smile. I LOVE what I do, and I am grateful that I did not let the financial hardships of the world cut into my dreams! Once I got over my initially hesitancy, I discovered that everything needed to “Just Do It” was on the inside!!

I am a better woman for staying focused on my goals! I challenge you to do the same!

You have to truly recognize when someone has decided that YOU are their target. And it doesn’t have to be a specific reason i.e. you forgot to call them at 8pm but called them at 8:02pm (petty right?), you missed their birthday celebration, etc., or you’ve decided to focus more on your own life…I meeeeeeeean the above reasons ARE reasons that people will put you in their line of fire…and w subtweets/sub-FB statuses/subpar communication…but it’s strictly up to you how you will respond…or whether you will even respond.

People have made a career out of being sh*t starters; that’s just what they do. They are often times annoying, attention-seekers, insecure, or some are purely just in it for a healthy debate (not all sh*t starters are whack lol). But now…you KNOW FULL WELL the difference. Just be advised that when you are doing great, stuff will always be thrown at you. If you are in a state of misery, or things aren’t on the up and up right now, some people secretly LOVE a person to struggle. Let me help you out (and this has worked for me):

1. Let them do what and how they do– you can’t change a person, but you do have options! Everything is about “choices”. If you don’t wish to communicate with them, well then don’t! If it’s on a professional level, and you’re dealing w a jerk, just remain professional in all exchanges; once they are aware that you just aren’t falling into their trap, they will move on to another.

2. Do not respond to their ignorance– this is self-explanatory; you don’t even have to acknowledge them. HIGH key, that pisses them off. That’s not necessarily your aim (or maybe it is lol), but remember…from a distance, a person can’t tell who the fool is if two people are arguing. Don’t give in to their whack agendas; it’s NEVER worth it. People able to pull you all the way out of your body like that have OFFICIALLY placed you in their pockets. Just ignore them.

3. Think about the source– if you know this person regularly has something to say, keep that in mind also before you make the decision to react.

4. Laugh– it burns calories anyway

People are on assignment to cause discord, and unfortunately, some of these assignments are self-imposed. There are a few who actually get paid to be jerks lol (I won’t name names, but you KNOW who they are, think about media outlets). But to the ones who are out here blindly on a mission to disrupt peace? Don’t be their next client.